See No Evil

Alex Calder #2

by Michael Ridpath

It could be difficult being a liberal Afrikaner in South Africa in the dying days of apartheid, especially if you were a powerful newspaper owner.



When an old college friend pays Alex Calder an unexpected visit he is drawn once more into the shady dealings of the City – and in particular back to Bloomfield Weiss, the investment bank he’d hoped he'd left well behind.



For Kim is married to Todd van Zyl, son of South African newspaper tycoon Cornelius van Zyl. Todd wants Alex’s help to investigate the murder of his mother, shot at a game reserve eighteen years ago.



Todd has always believed his mother was killed by guerrillas – but the recent discovery of a letter written by her shortly before her death now suggests a crime far closer to home. And it seems Alex’s old enemy at Bloomfield Weiss holds the key to the mystery.



Unfortunately Todd’s suspicions have stirred up a nest of vipers – with deadly repercussions…
See No Evil is the sequel to On The Edge, featuring Alex Calder.

Genres: Thriller Suspense, Crime

Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Before becoming a writer, Michael Ridpath used to work as a bond trader in the City of London. After writing several financial thrillers, which were published in over 30 languages, he began a crime series featuring the Icelandic detective Magnus Jonson. He has also written five stand-alone thrillers, the latest of which is The Diplomat’s Wife, published in February 2021. He lives in London.

And if you want a free copy of his novella, The Polar Bear Killing, and to sign up to his quarterly newsletter, just click this link: http://eepurl.com/dlzgFH

Reviews

[Toralf Saffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alte Geheimnisse

Zum Ende der Apartheid herrscht in Südafrika Gewalt und Chaos. In diesem Umfeld versucht der mächtige Zeitungsmogul Cornelius van Zyl mit der Übernahme des „Herold“ im internationalem Geschäft Fuß zu fassen. Doch dann wird seine Frau auf einer Safariefarm ermordet, offiziell von Guerillas, aber es wurde nie näher hinterfragt. Van Zyl verlässt daraufhin Südafrika und baut sein Zeitungsimperium in Amerika weiter aus. Als sein Sohn Todd, der beim Tod der Mutter erst 16 Jahre war, im Nachlass seiner Großmutter einen Brief von Martha findet, den sie kurz vor ihrem Tod geschrieben hat, beginnt er Fragen zu stellen. Gemeinsam mit seiner Frau Kim versucht er in England den ehemaligen Investmentbanker Alex Calder, welcher mit Kim gemeinsam studiert hat, für die Nachforschungen zu gewinnen. Kurz darauf werden Alex und Todd Opfer eines Anschlags und kommen nur knapp mit dem Leben davon. Irgendjemanden passt es nicht, dass in der Vergangenheit gewühlt wird und derjenige ist nicht zimperlich bei der Wahl seiner Mittel.
Michael Ridpath kenne ich als Autor von Finanzthrillern und auch in diesem Buch spielen die Transaktionen zum Kauf von Zeitungen eine große Rolle, noch mehr im Vordergrund steht jedoch die Geschichte Südafrikas in den späten 1980iger Jahren, als das Apartheidregime zusammenbrach und die Karten neu gemischt wurden. Die Story wird in zwei Zeitebenen erzählt – da sind Marthas letzte Tage – als Tagebuchaufzeichnungen – und da ist die Suche nach der Wahrheit im hier und jetzt.
Für den Leser ist lange unklar, ob die zerrissene Familie van Zyl hinter den Anschlägen steckt oder ist es eher der Lagerbond – ein südafrikanischer Geheimbund, der die Strippen zieht. Auch die Finanzierung der Übernahmen des Zeitungstycoons werfen Fragen auf.
Während das Buch in der Mitte ein paar Längen hat, nimmt es zum Ende rasant an Fahrt auf, es erwarten den Leser einige Überraschungen und unerwartete Wendungen bis zum fulminanten Finale.
Spannende Unterhaltung!

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second Alex Calder book, involving him an 18 year old murder in a South African game reserve and some pretty unpleasant attempts to stop him

[Janett Borroto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Das war ganz schön zäh...

[Helle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading the names Michael Ridpath and Alex Calder on the cover, I expected See No Evil to be a financial thriller. But Calder has left the financial world, and although the story is closely linked to bonds and loans, it is only on the side. I am not saying that that is a bad thing, in fact I have no affinity with that financial world whatsoever. Well, except for Ridpath’s books that is, and even then I must confess I like his Fire&Ice series better.

Anyway, back to See No Evil: it is well written, lots of tension and great descriptions of both England and South Africa. I also liked the use of the diary for flashbacks. I like a good murder or beating as much as the next guy (in books mind you, not real life), but here it couldn’t charm me. Also the characters remained a bit flat. All in all an enjoyable read, but not Ridpath’s best.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great storyline and realistic characters.

Superb writer who captures personalities so realistically. Fast pace through several countries. Well written flying sections to me a ppl myself. And excellent south African sections where I love. Overall terrific.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping

This is the second of Ridpath’s financial thrillers that I have read. In this story he tackles the complex and often violent subject of South African politics. I really enjoyed this one.

[Jonathan Pedlar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Money, newspapers and South African history in a robust thriller

I loved the realistic characters, dialogue and considered personal musings. Again the complexity of financial dealings went a bit over my head, but the plot worked well.

[Ken Fredette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book Michael. Should have guess because I liked your books on Iceland I should have read your ones on trading. I will rectify this as soon as possible.

[Lizzie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following his departure from the financial institution Bloomfield Wess Alex Caulder is now part owner of a flying school based at Langthorpe Aerodrome. He receives an unexpected visit from his old friend Kim whom he hasn’t seen for 10 years. Kim is now married to Todd van Zyl, son of the South African newspaper tycoon Cornelius van Zyl. Todd wants Alex to investigate the death of his mother eighteen years ago. Todd had always believed his mother had been killed by guerrillas - shot at a game reserve near Cape Town - but the recent discovery of a letter written shortly before her death suggests the crime is closer to home. Although reluctant Alex agrees to make some tentative enquires which bring him once again into the sphere of his old enemy at Bloomfield Weiss.

Alex is a gambler, what else are money market traders? And can easily be drawn into taking a risk, but this time the risk puts Todd into a coma and Alex has to take stock of what’s important. Family loyalties are severely tested in this undertaking.

The story opens in South Africa in 1988 when fear is committed to paper and the story switches between the past and the current day, so that we build up a picture of the situation before the event. The story is both colourful and powerful, presenting a picture of money and idealism - which is the most inspirational, or the more powerful?

As with all Michael Ridpath’s stories the stakes are extremely high and the tentacles of this cover-up stretch far, culminating in a surprising ending.

I have read and enjoyed all Michael’s books, but this is the most gripping, although Trading Reality still remains a firm favourite.
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Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes

[A.D. Vaughan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives the reader an interesting perspective on South Africa over the period of transfer of power to majority rule. The characters are well developed and I liked the use of the diary extracts that bridge the gap between past and present. There is no shortage of action throughout the book although some of the plot lines stretched the limits of credibility a little. Overall though, this didn’t spoil my enjoyment of a good read.

[Chris Hacker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, yet another great book from this author. Really enjoyed not knowing where this story was taking me. Lots of threads that when they came together showed a brilliant plot. Looking forward to reading the next in series.